Generation Z Artists

Chapter 373 Thank you, my good friend Fang Xinghe
After Chen Jinfei stepped down, a waiter brought out an 18-layer cake tower, starting the main event.

Liu Yifei, dressed in a beautiful princess dress and without makeup, walked down the second-floor stairs. She wore no jewelry except for a full-diamond platinum crown on her head.

That was a gift from Fang Xinghe, a Cartier haute couture piece of jewelry specially designed for her.

I don't know exactly how expensive it was, but the dog didn't spend any money.

Cartier is a sensible brand. As soon as he made the request, they quickly rushed to produce the princess headdress and claimed that it was a token of their appreciation and that it was free.

For the first time in her life, Nenxian wore crystal high heels and walked down carefully, yet her demeanor exuded a natural ease and grace.

She wore almost no makeup, only slightly touched up her eyebrows and applied a little lip gloss.

But that's already dazzling enough.

Many female guests exclaimed "Wow!" and the princess sighed, "She's so beautiful."

Yehenara nodded vigorously: "It's true, there's no child this beautiful in the entertainment industry!"

Some of the male guests who saw Liu Yifei for the first time were stunned.

Chen Guanxi whispered to his new agent, Lin Jianyue, "Wow, she's completely different from how she is on TV!"

"Yes! She looks much better in person than on camera!"

Lin Jianyue nodded vigorously at first, then became wary: "Hey boy, you better not get any bad ideas. We can't afford to offend Fang Sheng!"

"Relax! I'm not that stupid!"

Chen Guanxi responded with a grin, then turned around and whispered something to Xie Biwang.

"Brother Feng, no wonder you didn't get back together with Cecilia, turns out you were filming with a real fairy? What a lucky guy!"

Xie Tingfeng gave him a warning look, then subconsciously looked for Fang Xinghe and whispered, "Silence!"

"cut!"

Feeling bored, Chen Guanxi followed his gaze and saw Fang Xinghe standing to the side of the podium with his hands folded and a slight smile. He gave a nonchalant smirk.

He didn't understand why everyone was so afraid of Fang Xinghe. He couldn't control the Hong Kong entertainment circle. Shouldn't his own people be releasing songs, acting, and going to bars as usual?
He entertains himself behind closed doors; who would know who he is!

His mockery turned into a gaze as he stared at Fang Xinghe, remaining silent for a long time.

On the other hand, Xiao Fan smiled broadly on the surface, but secretly complained to her agent, "So what if I have a good dad, a good mom, and a good boyfriend? In terms of figure and acting skills, what do I lack?"

As it turned out, another Bingbing was standing too close and heard everything clearly. She jokingly chimed in, "It's rare that you have some self-awareness and didn't mention your face. Even with that unphotogenic face, she still outshines some of the maids without makeup!"

The nails were so sharp they made Xiao Fan roll his eyes.

Today marks the first time that Nenxian has made a large-scale appearance in the entertainment industry. Although she is without makeup, she already exudes a remarkable presence.

She has a very sculpted, angular face with prominent bone structure. However, because her skin is so fair that it glows, her features are smoothed out and softened on camera, making her appear aloof and ethereal. In reality, she is quite striking and aggressive.

What's particularly interesting is that Xiao Fan's bare face actually gives off a pure and innocent vibe, with a kind of well-behaved and refreshing feeling. So makeup and cameras really can be deceiving.

But she was anything but fresh now. With a cold face and clenched teeth, she replied, word by word, "So what if my face isn't pretty? We're not on the same wavelength. On the contrary, you have to go through other people's hands for any scripts that are suitable for you. Doesn't that feel good?"

"you!"

The two glared at each other, sparks flying in the air.

Even from two meters away, Madam Chen could feel the intensity of the confrontation. She sighed softly, looking at the tender-looking little girl on the stage, and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of envy.

The female celebrities present probably all felt the same way.

Their envy and jealousy stemmed not from Liu Yifei's looks, but from her seemingly divinely ordained good fortune.

Which of the female celebrities who are qualified to be here today didn't work their way up by being humble, humiliated, and forced to smile?
The mainland entertainment industry is a wasteland, with few opportunities and fierce competition. The road to the top is muddy and bloody. They have suffered so much to get to where they are today, so of course they cannot accept that someone can succeed so easily.

Thinking about my appearance, thinking about my age, and then thinking about my own man when I see Fang Xinghe... it hurts! It hurts so much!
Liu Yifei, however, knew nothing of this, smiling sweetly, every tone of her voice during her speech filled with happiness.

"Respected seniors, distinguished guests, and fans who have come from afar, hello everyone!"

Standing here today, I feel incredibly excited and deeply moved.

First of all, I want to thank everyone who came to witness the most important moment of my life – my 18th birthday.

From today onwards, I am no longer a child. I will learn to be a sensible, independent, and responsible adult, and live up to everyone's expectations of me.

I'm really lucky to have gotten to where I am today.

I owe my opportunity to act and to be recognized and loved by everyone to everyone who has helped me, especially my family.

Here, I would like to give a special thank you to my mother (choking up).

Mom, you've worked so hard all these years. You've given me so much, from accompanying me on set to taking care of my life. You always give me the best and protect me from the storms of life.

I was immature before and always made you worry. Now that I've grown up, it's my turn to take care of you and protect you.

And thank you to my godfather, Mr. Chen Jinfei, for your fatherly care and support all this time, for your tireless efforts in helping me persevere in the field I love.

I also want to thank Sony Music for their trust in me, which gave me the opportunity to go to Japan for six months of intensive music training.

During this time, I will focus all my energy on music, studying hard and improving myself. But I will not give up acting; I will do my best to balance both and repay everyone's love with better works.

Of course, I am most grateful to my good friend, director Fang Xinghe.

As she finished speaking, she turned to look for Fang Xinghe.

That look in his eyes was different from how he looked at others before.

Gratitude, respect, admiration, boldness, enthusiasm...

It's hard to describe exactly what kind of emotion it is, but in short, it's extremely infectious.

The guests all looked at Fang Xinghe, who smiled sincerely and contentedly, but showed no other emotion.

Some people couldn't help but wonder, "What exactly is the relationship between these two?"

I don't know, it's hard to say, I'm not sure.

Anyway, she said they're good friends, and she didn't address us as "you" or "director," so let's just listen to her and call her that.
Driven by their gossipy nature, they listened even more attentively.

"What I want to thank you for is not how many opportunities you gave me, although those opportunities were also very valuable, but there are some things that are more valuable."

The first time in my life I was treated as an adult was in "Less Than You".

I know my performance wasn't good enough; I was clumsy and superficial. But you never gave up on me, helping me in various ways, even sacrificing your precious time and energy to personally guide me.

Because of this, you only sleep about 3 hours a day, which makes me deeply hate my own incompetence..."

Liu Xiaoli felt dizzy listening to this. Although she liked Fang Xinghe now, she thought, "My dear daughter, that bastard was so cruel and ruthless when he tormented you, how could you imagine that as helping him?!"
But then, Liu Yifei's next words made her completely understand her daughter's thoughts.

“I’m not afraid of hardship. Although I didn’t know at the time whether such cruel treatment was really necessary, I was very happy that you didn’t compromise because of my age, gender, or clumsiness.”

"The Best of You" is the best script I've ever read, and Chen Nian is the best character in my heart. When I was halfway through filming, I knew that I didn't have the ability to fully realize her potential.

If you give up pursuing perfection because you care about me, then I will live with regret forever and spend my whole life hating my own amateurishness and weakness.

Standing on the Cannes podium, I felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I truly felt that everything was worth it.

That process wasn't pleasant, but it shaped me into a beautiful person.

For a long time, I still felt that experience was a nightmare, and to this day I still dare not sleep in complete darkness. However, I am still very grateful for your respect.

Your strict respect, treating me as an adult, an actor, and a partner, completely awakened my resilience, reshaped my personality, and ultimately ignited my artistic life…

Nenxian began to sob again.

Suddenly, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, both to encourage her and to marvel at the legendary nature of this relationship.

Sitting in a corner out of the media's view, Han Sanping couldn't help but sigh to An's father, "The film 'Better Days' is a miracle. Its box office success and awards firmly cement its place as the highest-grossing film in Chinese film history. But I really can't imagine what kind of immense willpower it took for your daughter to achieve this miracle under those circumstances..."

An's father couldn't help but wipe his eyes.

He replied in a trembling voice, "This child has always been quite strong, but I never expected that she could be so determined to become a good actress."

"That's amazing..."

Director Liu clapped his hands while shaking his head.

"This is a unique and unrepeatable story in the entire history of world cinema. A new director and new actors risked their lives to create a monument in the temple of art. Apart from Fang Xinghe and Xixi, I can't think of anyone else who could do this. They are both outstanding."

In the corner, Xiao Fan's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed.

She said with some frustration, "She deserves everything she has now."

Xiao Li remained silent.

She clapped her hands repeatedly, and after a few seconds, she suddenly spoke in a deep voice: "If it were me, I could do it too."

Xiao Fan glanced at her and sneered, "It can't be you. You don't look like Chen Nian at all."

Xiao Li looked back and pouted, "You do look like Wei Lai. Has Director Fang taken a liking to you?"

Grass!
Xiao Fan was humiliated again, and he was so angry that he trembled all over and almost wanted to bite her.

The two continued to stare at each other for a while until they heard Liu Yifei's voice again. Suddenly, they both turned their heads and gave up their competition.

Not interesting.

There's no point in fighting her anymore. At most, we'll be vying for the title of Huayi's top female performer, but her level has completely fallen behind the girls on stage.

This world is so unfair...

Liu Yifei sniffed, waited for the applause to subside, and then finished her final speech.

"Since my debut, I have heard some negative voices and faced some negative news."

To be honest, I was indeed sad at first, but I gradually learned to bear it. I know this is part of growing up, and something that public figures have to face. But please rest assured, I won't be defeated by these things; instead, I'll use them as motivation to become stronger.

Finally, I would like to thank all the guests, fans and media friends who attended.

Turning 18 is a new beginning, and the road ahead is long. I will carry everyone's blessings and expectations and take each step steadily to become a better actor and a more sensible adult.

thank you all! "

She bowed, stood up, and suddenly made a peace sign with a bright smile.

Fang Xinghe's eyes narrowed subconsciously, and a subtle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The next step is to cut the cake... oh wait, as a mother, Liu Xiaoli also has to go on stage and give a speech.

Instead of being overly sentimental, she made a public statement to the media outlining her future plans.

The most important of these is the application for reinstatement.

"Hello everyone, I am Liu Xiaoli, Xixi's mother. Thank you all for coming to witness Xixi's coming-of-age ceremony on such a wonderful day..."

As a mother, my love for my daughter is all-encompassing.

In 97, I took her to the United States and applied for U.S. citizenship for her so that she could have the best education and living conditions.

At the time, I never imagined that one day we would return to China and pursue a career in the performing arts.

As she grew older, Sisi began to develop a strong interest in acting. She told me, "Mom, I want to be an actress. I want to act in movies."

At that moment, I suddenly realized that the wonderful life I wanted to give her might not be what she truly wanted.

Fortunately, I am the kind of person who corrects my mistakes, and I was willing to fully respect my daughter's ideas. So we returned to China and began to help her pursue her dreams.

Along the way, we met so many helpful people.

Mr. You Jianming, Director Li Dawei, Teacher Zhang Jizhong, Ms. Cai Yinong...

Thank you all for everything you've done for Sissi. Without you, there would be no actress Liu Yifei today.

I'm not very good at saying polite things, but I will keep all of this in my heart and sincerely wish everyone success in their careers and a happy and fulfilling life.

Finally, I'd like to take a little more of your time to announce something small.

Since Sisi is now an adult, I can no longer arrange her life according to my own ideas, so my daughter and I had a heart-to-heart talk and discussed a lot about future plans.

After careful consideration, she decided to apply to restore her Chinese citizenship, to take deep root in the land that gave her birth and nurtured her, and to humbly reflect on herself and forge ahead as a sapling of the motherland.

The relevant materials have been submitted to the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau and are awaiting national review.

We know that regaining our nationality is not an easy thing, but we will do our best to do what we can and should do, and wait for the recognition of our motherland.

thank you all! "

When Liu Xiaoli finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the room, and many people looked at each other in bewilderment.

No, you went through so much trouble to get US citizenship, what's the point of this?
People today find it hard to understand, especially those in the entertainment industry, who have either already changed their nationality or are currently seeking to do so.

Only Fang Xinghe knew what value Liu Yifei, who no longer had any obvious weaknesses, could actually achieve.

(End of this chapter)